Depth and operation recorder for earth bore drilling rigs



March 14, 1961 BENDAR 2,974,523

DEPTH AND OPERATION RECORDER FOR EARTH BORE DRILLING RIGS Filed Nov. 12. 1953 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 19 1 ARTHUR Z BEND/4f? ATTORNEY March 14, 1961 A. z. BENDAR DEPTH AND OPERATION RECORDER FOR EARTH BORE DRILLING RIGS 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 12. 1953 VB r m JN

March 14, 1961 BENDAR 2,974,523

DEPTH AND OPERATION RECORDER FOR EARTH BORE DRILLING RIGS Filed Nov. 12. 1953 '7 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. ARTHUR Z. BEND/1f? A TTOR/VE Y March 14, 1961 A. z. BENDAR 2,974,523

DEPTH AND OPERATION RECORDER FOR EARTH BORE DRILLING RIGS Filed Nov. 12. 1953 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 b INVENTOR.

ARTHUR Z. BEA/0AA ATTORNEY March 14, 1961 z, BENDAR 2,974,523

DEPTH AND OPERATION RECORDER FOR EARTH BORE DRILLING RIGS Filed Nov. 12. 1953 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 9e 33 I09 H9 5.

8 a m2 I04 .I 44 I A I I I03 Y I08 76 99 |Q| I05 no 1-, F/. Z L I09 INVENTOR.

ARTHUR Z. BE/VDAR A 7' TOR/V5 Y March 14, 1961 z BENDAR 2,974,523

DEPTH AND OPERATION RECORDER FOR EARTH BORE DRILLING RIGS Filed Nov. 12. 1953 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR.

ARTHUR Z. BENDAR ATTORNEY March 1961 A. z. BENDAR 2,974,523

DEPTH AND OPERATION RECORDER FOR EARTH BORE DRILLING RIGS Filed Nov. 12. 1953 'T Sheets-Sheet '7 IN VEN TOR.

ARTHU z. BEND/4R I32 g l3. f

rates Arthur Z. Bender, Compton, Califl, assignor, by mesne Filed Nov. 12, 1953, Ser. No. 391,645

3 Claims. (Cl. 73-1515) This invention relates to the art of earth bore drilling and more particularly to means for permanently recording information as to the depth of an earth bore being drilled by a drilling rig and the operations taking place at any depth, all in relation to time.

In drilling earth bores particularly those seeking oil stratas, many operations are employed, among which are drilling, changing of drill bits, adding sections of drill pipe, surveying the bore for its direction and inclination, setting and removing whipstocks, reaming, fishing and others. It is, of course, highly desirable to have a complete record of these operations and also the rate of penetration when drilling and the time consumed in performing the many operations. Such record is not only valuable in ascertaining the time consumed in drilling the bore and cost per time unit each day, but such also gives a record for the geologist of what kind (soft or hard) of earth strata is being drilled and a record which will be useful in drilling other bores in the same field. The type of record indicated is also valuable in that it will give the drilling contractor complete knowledge of the efiiciency of his drilling crew and rig.

One of the objects of my invention is to produce a recording device for a rotary well drilling rig which will give a complete permanent record of the depth, the rate of penetration of the drilling bit and also a record of other vital operations performed during drilling, including the period of time consumed and also the date and hour thereof.

A further object is to produce an improved recorder for a rotary Well drilling rig which will embody a chart sheet caused to be continuously moved at a uniform rate by a clock mechanism and will have placed thereon by marking devices, indicia showing the drilling rate and also the other operations which may be performed when drilling is not taking place.

Still a further object is to produce a recorder for a rotary drilling rig which will produce a chart operated by a time mechanism and have indicated on said chart a record of the drilling being accomplished and independently thereof all movements of the traveling block.

Another object is to produce an improved recorder for a drilling rig which will record on a continuously moving sheet, easily readable marks for each unit of depth being drilled and the time consumed in drilling the unit, and further indicate in an easily readable manner when direct drilling is not taking place but other operations such as going in or out of hole and the period of time thereof.

Yet another object is to produce in a recorder for a rotary drilling rig, means to indicate to the driller the number of feet of a drill pipe remaining up on the kelly and also true bottom of the hole being drilled.

Still another object is to embody in a continuous recorder for a drilling rig, means for automatically disconnecting the depth recording mechanism whenever the drill stem is lifted a predetermined small distance from the bottom of the bore.

2,974,523 Patented Mar. 14, 1961 A further object is to produce a recorder giving a permanent record of the number of times the drill stem of a drilling rig goes in and comes out of a well bore during drilling operations, the time consumed for each and also the number of sections or stands of drill stem involved in each.

A further object is to produce a drilling rig recorder which at all times will give readily readable indication of the depth of the bore being drilled and a permanent record of the rate of penetration through all sections of the earths strata which is being drilled.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings showing a preferred construction of a recorder embodying my invention.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a view of a drilling rig showing my improved recorder associated therewith;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the recorder;

Figure 3 is a rear view of the recorder showing the manner in which it is operated by a cable connected to the drilling rig block;

Figire 4 is a top view of the operating mechanism for the two recording pens of the recorder;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a top view of the mechanism shown in Figure 5, said view being taken as seen from the line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a top view of certain mechanism in Figure 5 as viewed on the line 7-7 of said figure;

Figure 8 is a rear side view of the mechanism shown in Figure 7, all as viewed from the line 88 of said figure;

Figure 9 is a bottom view showing part of the structure for engaging the clutch by hand from the front of the recorder;

Figures 10 and 11 are sectional views taken on lines lit-10 and 11-11 of Figure 4 showing additional details;

Figure 12 is an enlarged sectional view showing details of the two pointers for the operation dial of the recorder, said view being taken on the line 1212 of Figure 2; and

Figure 13 is a view of a portion of a chart sheet showing an example of a record made by the improved recorder disclosed by way of example as embodying the invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail and first to Figure 1 which shows a conventional rotary well drilling rig, it will be seen that such rig comprises a derrick D with a platform at its bottom for a drilling table T which is driven by a suitable power unit not shown. Extending through the table into the well bore is a driving stem 20 to which at its upper end is connected the traveling block 21 in a well known manner whereby the drill stem to which the kelly is connected is lowered into the bore as hole is made by the drill bit at the bottom of the drill stem. A suitable cable 22 connects the traveling block with the crown block 23 at the top of the derrick, there being numerous sheaves in the crown block and the traveling block. The cable 22 is arranged to have one end connected to a hoisting reel, not shown, so the traveling block can be controlled.

Shown associated with the derrick at the bottom thereof near the platform is my improved recorder indicated generally by the letter R. It will be noted that this recorder has a main driving shaft M with a pulley 24 on the back side of the recorder. Trained over this pulley is a cable 25, one section of which extends upwardly to a point near the top of the derrick where it is trained over another pulley 26 and from here the end of the cable is connected to the traveling block 21 of the drilling rig. The other end of the cable 25 extends upwardly, but only to a point above the catwalk 27 of the rig where it is trained over a pulley 28 and then extends back downwardly to Where its end 'is connected to a traveling weight W. capable of moving up and down a slanting Wire 29 extending from adjacent the pulley 28 to the ground at some distance from the derrick. From Figure 3 it will be noted that the cable 25 is assured of proper running on the pulley 24 by the glides and small sheaves shown carried by the recorder. With this arrangement of the cable 25 and its connection to the recorder it will' be seen that as the traveling block moves up and down in the derrick, either during drilling, the running in and out of drill pipe, or the adding of additional drill pipe sections or stands (a stand being several sections of the drill pipe, generally three), the. recorder will be operated so that a record can be made of the operational functions going on at the drilling rig and also the penetration of the drilling bit, all as will become clearly apparent from the following detailed description of the recorder embodying my invention.

Referring now to Figures 2, 3 and 4 wherein a perspective front view and a back view of the recorder is shown, it will be seen that the recorder has a housing H involving a back panel 30, a bottom 31 and acover 32 said cover being capable of being raised to open up the housing. As already noted, the recorder has the pulley 24 at its rear for driving the recorder by means of cable 25. This pulley is mounted on the end of a main drive shaft M for the recorder, said shaft being aligned with a'driven shaft 33 and having bearing in a journal block 34 carried on the rear part of the bottom plate 31 of the recorder which also has mounted thereon most of the mechanism for the recorder, as disclosed in Figures 4 to 11.

The cover 32 is provided with a window and back of this window is the chart sheet generally indicated by S (a sample part being shown in Figure 13). This chart sheet 'is a continuous sheet of paper which rolls off of one spindle and onto another spindle by means of perforations at the side of the sheet which cooperate with sprockets on the spindles. The sheet is arranged to be driven by a suitable clock mechanism (not shown in detail) so the sheet will travel from one spindle where it is being unwound from a roll to another spindle where it will be wound onto a roll. )7

Also in the housing above the chart sheet and viewable through the window is a totalizing footage recorder F which may be driven by a suitable flexible shaft 35 and gearing connectingthe shaft to the recorder mechanism which, as already noted, is driven by the pulley 2,4. The chart sheet S will have two continuous markings placed thereon as it moves by the clock mechanism, these markings being produced by a pen P and a pen 0, the pen P accomplishing what is to be referred to as a penetration rate mark to indicate the penetration of the drill bit in the earths strata, and the pen accomplishing what is to be referred to as an operational mark other than drilling. The chart may be driven at any desired speed, but in the particular recorder shown it will be caused to be moved by the clock mechanism at a rate which, for the particular markings on the chart sheet shown in Figure 13, will constitute a movement of one small square every two minutes and a movement of one large square (outlined by the heavy lines and including 25 small squares) every ten minutes of time. With this arrange ment the chart will be moved by the clock past any given point at a rate of six large squares in one hour.

In the front of the housing there are two dials, one generally indicated by the letters FD, being the footage dial for earth bore drilled, and the other generally indicated by the letters OD, being the operational dial. The dials are mounted on a special mounting plate L carried at the front of the bottom plate 3.1; A spindle 36 carries and moves the footage dial element and it has a knurled knob end whereby it can be grasped between the thumb and fingers for rotational adjustment when desired. It will be noted that the footage dial rotated by the spindle has peripheral markings thereon from 1 to 10, each of Which indicates one-tenth of a foot of drilling depth. Thus, if the dial makes one complete revolution there will be one foot of penetration by the drill bit in the well bore. I

The operational dial OD has a fixed annular dial element 37 marked off in numbers from 1 to 50. In the center of this dial element is a spindle 38 having a knurled extension for operation by hand when desired. The spindle has friction mounted thereon a pointer 39 which is arranged to be driven by a driving hand 40. As can be best seen from Figures 2 and 12, the driving hand near its outer end carries two inwardly extending spaced apart lugs 41 and 42 which extend into the path of movement of the pointer 39. The lugs are so spaced that a limited movement of the driving hand can be had before the pointer 39 for the dial will be picked up. The driving hand will be driven in the direction of the arrow indicated'in Figure 2 by the recorder mechanism, as will later become apparent. It will not pick up the pointer 39 until it has moved ahead of said pointer 39 a distance sufficient for the lug 41. to pick up the pointer 39 and carry it along with the driving hand. The pointer 39 will preferably have a different color than the driving hand so they can be easily distinguished.

The operating mechanism for my improved recorder is shown in detail in Figures 4 to ll. Reference is now made to these figures and, as already mentioned, the bottom plate 31 of the housing has journaled thereon by block 34 the main driving shaft M which is driven by the pulley 24 and the cable 25 connected into the traveling block of the drilling rig. The aligned driven shaft 33'is suitably journaled in bearing blocks 43 and 44 and extends to the foot end of the housing where the two indicating dials are mounted. At the forward end 45 of the shaft, which is beyond block 44, there is mounted a relatively large gear 46 which is arranged to drive a smaller gear 47 mounted on the spindle 36 to which the footage dial is connected. This spindle 36, as shown in Figure 4, is carried on the bottom plate 31 by the two journal blocks 48 and 49. The gear 47 has a cylindrical hub 50 provided with a recess 51, the purpose of which will become later apparent.

It is desirable in this recording mechanism to drive the spindle 36 in the direction of the'arrow of Figure 4 only when actual'drilling or penetration of the earth is taking place, since it is by the movement of the spindle 36 that penetration is to be recorded, not only by the rotation of the footage dial FD but also by the total footage recorder F mounted in the recorder housing above the chart sheet. In this connection it will be seen that the spindle 36 is connected to cable 35 so the total footage recorder F is operated. To accomplish the driving of the spindle only during penetration there is provided a clutch generally indicated by the letter C and shown in detail in Figures 10 and 11. It is by means of this clutch that connection and disconnection between the main driving shaft M and the aligned driven shaft 33 for the penetration spindle is accomplished. The inner end of the driving shaft M carries two juxtapositioned ratchet wheels 52 and 53, both fixed to said shaft. At the inner end of the aligned driven shaft 33 is keyed thereon a cross arm 54 by means of a sleeve 55 which is arranged to clutch the shafts M and 33 together. As best seen in Figure 11, this cross arm carries at its outer end spring fingers 56 which act as yieldable dogs to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 52 Thus, if the ratchet Wheel 52 and the shaft M are rotating in the direction of the arrow of Figure l1 and the spring fingers are engaged with the teeth of the ratchet wheel, there will be a direct drive between the shafts. In the event the sleeve 55 is slid axially on the shaft 33 to disengage the yieldable fingers 56 from the ratchet wheel, then the clutch will be disengaged and there will be no connection between the driving and driven shafts.

The sleeve extends through the journal block 43 and carries at its end a grooved ring 57 (see Figure 4). Cooperating with this groove ring is a clutch actuated yoke 58 pivoted on the bottom plate 31 and having pins 59 for engagement with the grooves of the ring. With this arrangement it will be seen that as the yoke is caused to be moved, it can actuate the sleeve 55 and thus control the arm 54 and by the fingers 56 engage the clutch. A coil spring 60 is interposed between the journal block 44 and the clutch ring to normally bias the sleeve 55 to a clutch disengaged position.

The clutch C is arranged to be engaged by hand only at the will ofthe driller and to be disengaged automatically in the event there is a reverse rotation of the main drivingsh'aftM." By'revers'e rotation is meanta rotation opposite that of the arrow on Figures 3, 4 and 11 and in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 10, which will all correspond to a raising of the traveling block 21 on the derrick. To accomplish the manual engagement of the clutch there is provided a reciprocal and rotatable shaft 61 which, as best shown in Figure 9, is mounted on the underneath side of the bottom plate 31 by means of two journal blocks 62 and 63. This shaft 61 extends to the front of the recorder at a point below and between the two dials and has an actuating knob 64 at its outer end. On shaft 61 between the two blocks is mounted a clutch actuating arm 65, said arm being free on the shaft. This arm extends upwardly through an opening 66 in the bottom plate 31 and is pivotally connected to the yoke 58 for actuating the clutch as can best be seen in Figure 4. In order that the arm may be properly guided, it has connected thereto a guide rod 67 parallel with the shaft and journaled at its opposite ends for sliding movement in the two journal blocks 62 and 63 'In order to shift the clutch actuating arm 65 with the shaft 61 there is secured to the shaft on opposite sides of the arm two collars 68 and 69. One of these collars 68 has an extending pendulum arm 78 on the end of which is carried a weight 71 so that the shaft 61, if free to rotate, can be rotated until the arm and weight drop to a position extending downwardly from the shaft. The other collar 69 is provided with a clutch jaw element 72 which is arranged to engage a clutch jaw element 73 carried on the end of a sleeve 74 surrounding the shaft and fixed in the journal block 63. The jaw elements 72 and 73 cannot be engaged except when the shaft 61 is turned so the weighted arm extends in a horizontal direction substantially parallel with the surface of the bottorn plate 31. With the weighted arm in this position then, by a longitudinal movement of the shaft 61, the clutch arm 65 can be actuated and the clutch C caused to be engaged. As has already been noted, the clutch is to be automatically released and whenever this occurs the clutch actuating arm 65 will be returned to the normal clutch actuating position shown in Figure 9 where the two jaw elements 72 and 73 are disengaged. Under these conditions, the weighted arm 7 will drop to a vertical position and turn the shaft 61 to a position where it is impossible to move it inwardly until it is again rotated to a position where the weighted arm is horizontal and the jaws 72 and 73 arranged for interengaging relation.

The structure for disengaging the clutch automatically is best shown in Figures 4 and 11. At one side of the aligned shafts M and 33 and between such shafts and the spindle 36 there is mounted in a post '74 and a hearing block 75 a shaft 76. Fixed to and extending upwardly from this shaft is an arm 77 and on the upper end thereof is pivotally mounted a crank arm 78. One leg 79 of this crank arm extends laterally and overlies the ratchet wheel 53, already referred to, which is carried on the inner end of the main driving shaft M. This leg is provided with a tooth 88 engaging the teeth of the ratchet wheel. The other leg 81 of the crank arm is arranged to extend downwardly parallel with the arm 77 and be positioned between spaced pins 82 and 83 carried by said arm 77. By means of these pins the movement of the bell crank will be limited. The leg 79 is longer and therefore heavier than the leg 81 and because of this the tooth 88 will always be engaged by the action of gravity with the ratchet wheel whenever the arm 77 is swung toward the ratchet wheel. However, if the arm 77 is swung away from the ratchet wheel, the relationship of the pin 82 with respect to the leg 81 will be such that the tooth 80 will be held out of any engagement with the ratchet Wheel.

To the shaft 76 laterally of the clutch actuating yoke 58 there is secured an arm 84, all as shown in Figure 4. This arm extends upwardly and is arranged to cooperate with a lateral integral projection 85 carried by the yoke, which projection has a notch 86'to"ehgage with the arm 84 only when the yoke is moved to engage the clutch. When the arm 84 is not engaged in the notch, it will ride on the end of the projection 85, shown in Figure 4, when the clutch is disengaged. The arm 84 is normally biased to a position where it can engage in the notch and this is accomplished by the action of a spring 87, such spring being connected to the previously mentioned arm 73 and at its other end to a rod 88 which extends outwardly from the top of the post 74. In addition to all the structure just described with respect to the automatic disengaging of the clutch, there is also provided a small leaf spring 89 carried by the top of the post 74 which cooperates with an upstanding integral finger 90 at the pivot portion of the bell crank 78. This leaf spring and the projection act as friction means to normally assist in holding the tooth 80 engaged with the ratchet wheel in addition to the engaging force produced by gravity.

With the described manual engagement of the clutch and the structure for automatic disengaging of the clutch, it is believed to be apparent that the clutch can be quickly and readily engaged manually by rotating the knob 64 at the front of the recorder in the direction indicated by the arrow thereon and to the fullest extent permitted and then following this by a shifting of the knob inwardly to move the shaft 61 inwardly. The rotation of the knob swings the weighted arm upwardly to a parallel position with the bottom plate which will then permit the inward shifting of the shaft, due to proper relationship of the jaw elements 72 and 73. Inward shifting will cause the clutch arm 65 to be moved inwardly, as well as the clutch yoke 58 and the clutch sleeve 55, thereby carrying the cross arm 54 inwardly and resulting in the spring fingers 66 being engaged with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 52 to engage the clutch C and thereby connect the main driving shaft M and the driven shaft 33 together. The clutch will remain engaged as long as the main drive shaft rotates in the direction indicated by the arrows in Figures 3, 4 and 11.

When the clutch is engaged, the clutch yoke will be in such a position that the notch 86, in the projection 85 carried thereby, can be engaged by the arm 84, which engagement will be caused by the action of the spring 87. When the arm 84 engages the notch 86, the clutch will be held positively engaged against any disengaging action by the clutch disengaging spring 68.

If, with the clutch engaged, there should be a rotation of the main driving shaft in the direction opposite the arrows in the various figures, the clutch will automatically become disengaged. This is caused by the movement of the ratchet wheel 53 on the main shaft M in the direction of the arrow of Figure 10. Such rotation of the ratchet wheel will, through the engaged tooth 88, move the arm 77 to the right, as viewed in Figure 10, with the result that the shaft 76 will be given a rotation in the diretcion of the arrow of Figure 10 and thereby cause the arm 84 to be pulled out of the notch 86 carried by the clutch yoke. This frees the 2 clutch yoke for movement by the clutch disengaging spring 60 and consequently the clutch will then become disengaged by said spring. As the clutch is disengaged the shaft 61, which was manually actuated to engage the clutch, will then be shifted forwardly with the result that the jaws 72 and 73 will be disengaged so the weighted arm 70 can fall down ,to a vertical position and thus insure that the clutch cannot be re-engaged until the knob 64 has been turned to the fullest extent allowed in the direction of the arrow on the front surface of the knob. When the clutch is disengaged, the footage dial PD and the footage marking pen and the total footage recorder F will both stop.

As already mentioned, the marking on the chart sheet S for indicating penetration of the earths strata by the drilling bit during drilling is to be performed by the penetration pen P. This penetration pen is mounted on the upper end of a light curved leaf spring 91 which is so formed as to cause the pen to have suflicient pressure engagement with the chart sheet to make its continuous mark, but not with such great pressure as to interfere with the movement of the chart. The pen spring 91'is carried on an upper projection of an arm 92 which is shownin Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. For convenience, this arm is pivotally mounted on the end of the clutch releasing shaft 76 between the journal block 75 therefor and the gears 46 and 47. In indicating the rate and the amount of penetration it is not only desirable to have the penetrating pen P make a continuous vertical mark on the chart sheet as the sheet moves at a uniform rate therebeneath, but to have this pen indicate by a lateral line each foot of penetration, and further to have each five feet of penetration longer so as to be distignuishable from the footage marks between each five feet. Thus, the driller or anyone else can quickly obtain a summation of footage on the chart by quickly adding up the longer five foot marks and multiplying them by five, rather than countingevery footage mark. It is also desirable to have this penetration pen indicate by its vertical line when actual drilling is taking place and when there is no drilling taking place, as would be the case when a drill bit is being changed, drill stem stands being added to the drill string, surveying operations are taking place and many other operations. This is done, as will become apparent, by a slight shift of the pen laterally so there will be one vertical line for drilling and another vertical line indicating no drilling.

To make the footage markings and to have each five foot mark longer than the other footage marks between each five foot mark, such is accomplished by a special mechanism between the penetrating pen carrying arm 92 and the spindle 36 which drives the footage dial element FD. As best shown in Figure 5, the arm 92 carries a specially shaped finger 93 which is arranged to ride upon the previously referred to hub 55) of gear 47 which is fixed to and drives the spindle shaft 36 of the footage dial. This finger 93 is arranged to drop into the already referred to notch 51 carried by the hub 50, as can be seen from Figure 5.

Adjacent the rear of the hub 59 and loosely mounted on the spindle 36 is a cam 94 which is provided with a lobe 95. This cam is arranged to be driven by the gear 46 in a special manner. The gear 47 has a pin 96 which is received in an elongated recess 97 of the cam so the cam can have relative movement with respect to the hub of the gear. I employ this relative movement to allow for a preloading of the cam by the use of a coil spring 93 which has one end connected to the cam and the other end suitably connected to the spindle 36 (see Figures 4 and 6). This spring so operates on the cam that the normal driving of the cam by the gear will be through the spring with the spring holding the pin 96 at one end of the groove 97, all as indicated in dashed lines in Figure 5. Thus, if the cam lobe engages a resistance, the cam can be held from movement while the spring loading is built up by the cntinuous movement of the} When the notch 51 in hub of driven gear 47' gear 47. comes around to position of finger 93, this finger is forced into the notch due to spring 98' forcing cam lobe against point A of actuator finger 93. The spring will then snap the cam back to its original position with respect to the gear 47.

I employ the cam lobe to actuate the penetration pen carrying arm 92 to produce the mark and I arrange with the arm means which will produce the resistance to build up the loading on the spring 98 so that the arm is permitted to move by the finger 93 entering notch 51, this movement causing pen to make a forward stroke and spring 107 causing return to this movement producing the horizontal mark desired on the chart sheet. low part of the arm 92 there is pivot-ally mounted a pad, arm 99, the forward end of which is provided with a cam surface 109 which will be arranged to be engaged by the lobe 95 of the cam 94 as. it is rotated through the spring 98. This pad arm 99 is so arranged with respect to the lobe of the cam and the recess 51 in the hub of the gear that the cam. surface 1% Will be engaged by the lobeof the cam prior to the recess 51 being presented to the finger 93 of the pen operating arm 92 so as to allow for a pivotal movement of the arm 92 in the direction of the arrow carried thereby in Figure 5. Normally the arm 92 cannot move in the direction of the arrow because the finger 93 is riding on the peripheral surface of the hub 56. It is only when the notch 51 is presented to the finger that the arm 92 can move in the direction of the arrow.

If we now assume that the gear 47 is rotating in the direction of the arrow, it will be seen that the cam 94 will be carried therewith in the same direction by the driving action through the spring 98. However, when the lobe of the cam engages the cam surface 109 of the pad arm 99, the movement of the cam will be stopped,

but the gear will continue to rotate with the result that,

the coil spring between the cam and the gear is wound up until the pin 96 almost reaches the end of the recess 97 in the cam. At approximately the time this occurs, the recess Sit in the hub of the gear will be presented to the finger 93 and then the lobe of the cam can be driven past the pad arm 99 because this pad arm can be forced downwardly and actuate the pen carrying arm 92 because the finger is free to move into the recess 51. This movement of the penetrating pen arm 92 is caused to be very rapid because the cam lobe will be flipped by the pad arm 99 and cause movement of the arm 92 by the rapid release of the coil spring 98 to restore normal relation between it and the gear hub. Upon rotation of the pen operating arm 92 the penetration pen P will be given a quick movement on the chart S to the left of its normal vertical line of travel, with the result that there will be a horizontal mark placed on the chart, as can be seen in the chart sheet'sample of Figure 13. The return of the arm will also be rapid as this is accomplished by a spring 107 acting to hold the arm 92 against a special stop, all to be later described. One revolution of the gear 4 7 and the spindle 36 is required to make each lateral movement of the penetrating pen and each lateral movement of the penetrating pen indicates one foot of penetration. If the driller desires to know what the penetration is at less than a foot, he need only look at the footage dial at the front of the recorder and this will show him the penetration in tenths of a foot.

To accomplish a slightly longer lateral movement of the penetration pen P for each five foot mark so these five foot marks will stand out on the chart, a special mechanism associated with the pad arm 99 is provided. Beneath this pad arm, as best shown in Figures 5, 7 and 8, there is mounted .on the lower corner of the penetrating pen arm 92 a square shaped oam 101 freely pivoted on the same side of the arm as the pad arm 99. The same shaft upon which the square cam is secured and On the.

mounted extends through the arm 92 and has secured to its other end at the opposite side of the arm a ratchet wheel 102 having 20 teeth around its periphery. Cooperating with this ratchet wheel is a pawl 103 which is pivoted on the bottom plate 31 of the mechanism by a suitable support 104. The forward end of the pawl cooperates with the teeth of the ratchet wheel and the rear end of the pawl carries a weight 105 which, by means of gravity, will assure that the pawl will engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel.

Each time the penetrating pen arm 92 is caused to operate to make a lateral line, the ratchet wheel 102 is so moved with the arm that a ratchet tooth slips by the end of the pawl 193 and then when the arm 92 returns to its normal position the ratchet wheel is turned so as to move the square cam 101 one-twentieth of a revolution. Thus, when the square cam is moved 90 degrees, which will be five revolutions of the gear 46 and spindle 36, one corner of the square cam will be presented to a special cam surface 106 on the bottom of the pad arm 99 and hold this pad arm slightly higher than it would otherwise be held. Thus, upon the rotation of the cam 94 when this pad arm is so held, the lobe 95 upon passing the pad arm and actuating the penetrating pen arm 92 can move the said arm a slightly greater distance than it otherwise would. The result will be that the horizontal mark made by the pen P on the chart sheet will be slightly longer than otherwise. This is the five foot marking and it occurs only every five revolutions of the footage spindle 36 because it is only at such time that the pad arm 99 is held at a higher position by the square cam 191.

The penetrating pen is normally held at its vertical marking line by the action of a spring 197 which operates to pull an extension 108 of the arm against a stop pin 109. This is the spring which returns pen P to complete each lateral footage line on the chart sheet. I utilize this stop, however, not only to hold the penetration pen at a given vertical line, but to permit the pen to shift slightly on the chart to a dilferent vertical line away from the lateral markings whenever drilling is not being accomplished by the drilling rig. The result is obtained by a particular construction of the stop pin 109 and a mounting thereof so it will be shifted slightly whenever the main clutch C is disengaged and there can then be no rotation of the footage dial FD.

In Figures 4, and 7 it will be noted that the pin 109 is arranged for slight movement in the two journal blocks 44 and 45 and at the end of the pin upon which the projection 108 of the penetrating pen 92 rests there is an enlargement 110. The pin N9, also between the blocks 44- and 45, extends through the clutch ring 57 of the clutch ring 55 by which the clutch C is to be controlled. With this arrangement each time that the clutch becomes disengaged the pin 109 will be shifted toward the front mounting plate L of the dials and the enlarged part 110 thereof will be moved out from beneath the extension 108 of the penetrating pen arm 92. Consequently the spring 107 can pull the penetrating pen arm: 92 a slightly greater distance to the left than normal, as viewed in Figure 5, before it is prevented from movement by the smaller part of pin 109. The result will be that the penetrating pen will be shifted on the chart slightly to the right (on chart) of its normal marking position and there will then occur a vertical marking on the chart sheet approximately one small square to the right of the vertical marking which occurs when drilling is taking place. Thus, the driller or anyone else can tell by a quick glance at the chart exactly when there is no actual earth bore drilling taking place.

In the operation of the recording mechanism it is desirable to have the operational pen 0 operating at all times because there should be a record of every operation which occurs during the drilling of the earth bore.

Although the penetrating pen P and the chart sheet may indicate that no drilling is taking place, this mark by the pen P does not show what is being done when there is no drilling, but with the operational pen 0 and its markings on the chart sheet, the sheet will show What is being done during this non-drilling period. The main driving shaft M to operate the operational pen has a small beveled gear 111 carried thereon which meshes with a larger beveled gear 112 on the end of a threaded shaft 113 mounted in journal blocks 114 and 115 so as to be at right angles to the main driving shaft. This threaded shaft carries a threaded block 116 and it is guided by a rod 117 positioned parallel to the threaded shaft and mounted in the two journal blocks. With this driving arrangement from the main shaft and the necessary direction of threading of the shaft 113, it will be possible for the block 116 to be moved in the direction of the arrow in Figure 4 Whenever the main shaft M rotates in the direction of the arrow thereon in the same figure. When the main shaft rotates opposite the arrow the block moves opposite the indicating arrow.

Secured to the block 116 is a plate 118 to which is pivotally mounted an arm 119 extending toward the mounting plate L and at the forward end carries a light leaf spring member 120 upon the free end of which is the operational pen 0. When the operational pen engages the chart sheet the arm 119 at its forward end rests upon a thin rail 121 carried by a block 122 so as to permit sliding of the arm with minimum friction as the arm 119 and the pen is caused to move back and forth with the block 116 by a rotation of the threaded shaft.

In addition to the block 122 there is also a journal block 123 and these two blocks serve to journal the previously referred to spindle 38 therein which is associated with the operational dial OD. At the rear end of this spindle 38 beyond the block 123 is a gear 124 which is arranged to mesh with a rack 125 slidable in a block 126 carried by the bottom plate 31 of the mechanism. This rack is mounted to move longitudinally and parallel with the traveling screw block 116. The outer end of the rack, which is toward the closest side of the bottom plate, carries a pickup finger 127 which is arranged to project into the path of movement of the traveling screw block so this screw block can pick up the rack as it moves in the direction of the arrow. The result is that the spindle 38 will then be turned by the moving of the rack and through the spindle the pointer 39 associated with the operational dial will be moved. It will be recalled that the pointer 39 is being driven by the driving hand 40 which is connected to the spindle and then only after the hand has moved sufiiciently that its lug 42 will make engagement with the pointer. The operational dial pointer will only be moved whenever the screw block moves the rack. However, the operational pen 0 will always be moved whenever there is any rotation of the main driving shaft in any direction. Thus, it will be obvious if the traveling block on the rig is moving up .to pull the drill stem, the operational pen will indicate it on the chart and the time period involved. The same is true whenever there is any downward movement of the drill pipe, whether for operational purposes, putting in a stand of drill stem, or for drilling. The line formed by the operational pen 0 on the chant sheet will be back and forth across the sheet, depending upon the direction of movement of the screw block 116. During this movement of the pen the sheet continues to move at a uniform rate. If the pen is moved fast across the sheet, as is possible when the drill stem is being pulled, then the line will be substantially horizontal. When the pen moves slowly, as in drilling, the line made across the sheet will be inclined.

Referring now to the operation of the recorder, it is believed to be obvious how the particular mechanism shown in Figures 1 to 12 operates upon movement of the traveling block up and down in the drilling rig. During all the time the chart sheet S will be continsheet two continuous lines by the penetration pen P and the operation pen 0. These lines are indicated in Figure 13, which shows a piece of a sample chart, as line PL for the penetration line and CL for the operation line. When the traveling block is moving downwardly the operational pen will move from the left to the right and when the traveling block moves upwardly this operational pen will move from right to left. The penetration pen, when no drilling is being done, will be establishing a vertical line on the chart sheet and this line will be slightly to the right of the line which is established when drilling is taking place. The vertical line indicating drilling is established after a manual setting which involves the engaging of the clutch C, all of which is accomplished in a manner previously described which includes the turning of the knob 64 at the front of the rec-order, in the direction indicated by the arrow and to the fullest extent allowed, and then pushing the shaft 61 inwardly. As drilling takes place and the traveling block moves downwardly, each foot of penetration will be indicated by a. lateral line at right angles to the longitudinal line for drilling. These lines are formed for each revolution of the penetration dial FD. Every fifth line will be longer than the other lines, as has already been previously explained. If there should be a reverse movement of the main driving shaft which is caused by an upward movement of the traveling block, then the clutch C will automatically be thrown out and the penetration pen moved slightly to the right on the chart sheet to then produce the vertical line indicating that no drilling is taking place. At any time the operator wants to know the fraction of footage that is being drilled, he can obtain this by looking at the penetration dial FD.-

As already indicated, the operational pen 0 will be continuously moved upon any movement of the traveling block and the main driving shaft M. The direction of lateral movement of the operational pen 0 to produce the line O'L will depend upon which direction the traveling block is moving. The only time that the operational pen Will not be moving is when there is no movement of the traveling block. Under such condition, the pen 0 then will produce a straight vertical line on the chart sheet S. Although the operational pen P will move at all times when there is movement of the main driving shaft and the traveling block, there will not be any movement of the operational dial pointer OD except when the traveling block is moved downwardly, and then only if there has been a proper conditioning of the spindle 38 which drives the pointer 39 for the operational dial. There will be no driving of the spindle 33 unless the pickup finger 127 on the end of the rack 1 25 is engaged by the traveling screw block 116 and said block is being movedby the main drive shaft M in a direction corresponding to downward movement of the traveling block or" the rig. If the spindle has been turned so the finger 127 on the rack is moved to its fullest extent toward the bottom of the mechanism as shown in Figure 4, then of course, regardless of what movement of the screw block takes place, there will be no movement of the pointer for the operational dial.

The purpose of the operational dial is to give to the drilling rig operator a visual indication of the amount of movement of the traveling block so he can readily determine how many feet up are left on the kelly without use of a graduated length of wood. The operational dial is only set for operation during drilling. When the rig operator gets ready to drill, he will move the spindle so the finger 127 on the rack is up against the screw block 116. To do this the spindle will be turned in a counter clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 2. This also will cause the driving hand it? for the pointer 39 to be picked up by the lug 2, 4 and under such conditions the driving hand and pointer will be in the same radial plane. At the time the kelly is made up and drilling is to be commenced the drilling bit is allowed to be oil the bottom of the hole about a foot. When the drill bit reaches the bottom of the hole and actual drilling starts, the driving hand will have. been moved sufiiciently by the main driving member of the recorder as to cause the lug 41 to pick up the pointer 39 and carry it along with the driving hand.

With the above brief description of the operation of the recorder, a better understanding of the record produced by the recorder can best be obtained by an analysis of the sample portion of the chart sheet shown in Figure 13. On this sheet the two lines produced by the operating pen and penetration pen are shown. It will be noted that the chart sheet is marked off in the same manner as graph paper. Each small square, as already mentioned, will indicate a time period produced by the driving clock mechanism. The particular time movement in the recorder shown is 2 minutes for each small square. There are heavier lines on the sheet for each block of 25 small squares. Also on the chart sheet will be cross lines which are still heavier than any other lines and these are spaced apart 30 of the small squares or 6 of the larger squares containing 25 of the small squares. It is these heavier cross lines which will indicate the hour time and these hours am. and p.m. will be printed on the sheet. The operator can write on the sheet the day and year or any other data by merely raising up the lid of the recorder.

On the particular sheet shown the rig operation is shown from a time period from approximately 9:50 am. to 1:20 pm. At 9150 it will be noted the penetration line PL is in a position to indicate there is no drilling taking place and, as shown by a portion of the PL line indicated at 128, no drilling takes place until 10:24, at which time drilling is commenced because it is noted the line PL then shifts to the left one small square and then continues on down the chart as indicated at 129. The reason the line has shifted to the left is that the operator has manually engaged the clutch C by rotation and longitudinal shifting of the shaft 61 as a result of 'proper manipulation of the knob 64. 'As the pen P makes the section 129 of line PL, it will be noted that no footage is made until near 10:34, at which time there is a beginning of the lateral marks. Drilling then is indicated as being quite rapid after this as nearly every 2 minutes a foot was drilled as shown by the lateral lines. It will be noted that each 5 feet of penetration is indi cated by a longer lateral line. The chart sheet shows that the drilling continued until the depth was 4832 feet, which has been written on the chart by the driller. Drilling stopped at 11:28 as at that time the line PL shifted to the right a small square and continued on as indicated at 130. For a period of 8 minutes there was no drilling. A single was necessarily added as 31 feet had been drilled. Drilling was again commenced and continued until a depth of 4862 feet was reached at 12:54. The drilling period line is indicated at 131. Drilling is known to have ceased because it is seen that the line PL shifts to the right again and there is no further drilling, insofar as shown by the sample of the chart sheet selected. The no drilling section is indicated at 132.

To understand what operations were going on at the rig, operation line OL is present on the sheet to the right of the peneration line PL. During all the period of time between 9:50 and 10:24, when there was no drilling as shown by the section 128 of the line PL, the operating pen shows that during this period of time there is a continuous up and down movement of the traveling block and this up and down movement indicates that stands of drill pipe are being placed in the hole. Each stand is indicated by a complete back and forth line. In order that the operator may be certain that the record being made shows stands of drill stem going into the hole, he

13 may place on the chart sheet a downward arrow along beside the group of marks close cross lines on the operation line, which marks are indicated at 133. After the stands of the drill stem are placed in the hole, drilling immediately commenced, with very little loss of time, and it will be noted that opposite the penetration line PL where drilling is commenced, the operational line OL then moves from the left on the chart to the right as the chart sheet moves, thereby showing that the traveling block is moving downwardly during drilling. This section of the operational line is indicated at 134. Before starting out of hole, the operator had set the operation dial by turning the spindle 38 as far as possible in a counter clockwise direction. Before starting to drill the driller again sets dial according to certain conditions. Assuming a condition where the driller decides "to come out of hole with the operational dial showing ten feet up on kelly and not on zero then he would add the ten to the added single length and position pointer on dial accordingly being sure the total did not exceed kelly length (about 44 feet). It will be noted that the chart shows a slight shifting of the operational line between the putting in of the stands and the commencing of drilling, this being indicated at 135. This shifting of the lines shows that during this period of time there was a making up of kelly, which is adding the kelly so that drilling can begin.

The operational line shows that drilling stopped at 4832 feet, which is a confirmation of the penetration line PL on the graph. Following this stoppage of drilling the operational line shows a zig zag back and forth across the chart for a period of approximately 10 minutes wherein the traveling block was raised and lowered and then partially raised and lowered again and then raised. All of this is indicated at 136 and shows there has been added to the string a single length of drill pipe. The setting back of the kelly is indicated at 137 and when the kelly is made up is indicated at 138. After these operations, drilling is again commenced since the traveling block moves downwardly and the pen across the sheet to the right, all as shown by the section 138 of the operational line 0L. When drilling stops at 4862 feet and at 12:50 p.m., the kelly is set back and then the drill stem pulled out of the well, as shown by the back and forth lines 140. Each movement of the OL line back and forth indicates the movement of the traveling block up and down the rig and shows that a stand of drill pipe has been pulled up. To be certain that the back and forth lines 139 are pulling drill pipe out of the bore hole instead of running it in, there may be placed on the chart by the operator an upwardly pointing arrow alongside the lines 140, as shown by the chart. Thus, if the chart should be reviewed at some future date to know what has happened on the Well, it will be readily certain that during this period of time the drill pipe was being pulled. However, this should be apparent by the long sloping section line 138 just above.

It will be noted from the sample chart that the penetration line and the operational line check each other, whereas the penetration line PL only indicates whether drilling is occurring or not occurring. The operation line OL will supply additional information as to what is going on during the non-drilling period and the time taken by any of these operations. The driller can always supplement the chart by Writing information thereon at any time merely by lifting the cover so the record will be more complete. For example, there may be a period in which there is no drilling going on and the operational line merely shows a vertical line indicating there is no movement at all of the traveling block. If, during this lack of activity at the rig, a survey of the bore is taken, then the rig operator can write this at the proper place on the chart. Also, if there are any fishing operations occurring he can write this at the proper place on the side of the operation line. If there is a complete shut down of the rig because of breakage and such might be for a long number of hours or even days, the clock and movement of the chart sheet can be stopped and a notation made on the sheet to show what was the cause of the breakdown and its duration.

It is to be particularly noted that the operational dial and its driving hand and pointer have two important functions, one of which is to at all times indicate to the driller how many feet are left up on the kelly and the other is to inform the driller when the bit is on the true bottom of the bore. The first mentioned important function will be apparent from the following example:

Assuming that the driller has just drilled down on the kelly to the zero point on the dial. He now asks the length of the next single to be added. This may be 30-31-32 feet for example. With the single added and the kelly up 42 feet he now sets pointer 39 by turning knob 38 clockwise to the measured length of single. On the dial, the angular movement of driving hand 40 is beyond pointer 39 representing a foot in drill string travel. The driller then puts the kelly down slowly until he sees the driver hand 40 without the pointer start moving, he then slows up carefully until lug 41 touches pointer 39. He then stops, engages the clutch of the drilling mechanism by turning and pushing in knob 64, Figure 4, and starts drilling. When lug 5-1 of the driving hand 40 picks up pointer 39, the bit is at the exact bottom of bore.

The second important function is well illustrated by the following example:

Assuming a condition where stands or 300 singles have been taken out of the hole (9,000 feet, to replace the bit) and then these 100 stands are run back into the hole. This takes several hours. The pulling and rotation of the drill string going out and again going in, plus settling of drill cuttings over this long period causes the bore to fill up distances of twenty or more feet, depending on the type of formation, drift of hole, etc. When the driller lets down the drill string and the bit reaches this accumulation, the bit is actually 20 feet or more above true bore depth. If the deposits are quite soft and the formation is hard, the driller with large experience may know when he reaches true depth of hole by penetration rate change. However, with the operational dial the driller sets the dial when the last single was added to the overall string. He also engaged the clutch to start drilling and penetration began to be recorded. Nothwithstanding the setting of the operational dial the driving hand does not move becouse true bottom has not been reached. When true bottom is reached then the pointer is picked up and moved and the driller is certain that he is again making hole.

From the foregoing detailed description of the structure embodied in my improved recorder and its method of operation, together with the explanation of the record made on the chart sheet, it is believed to be obvious that there has been constructed a new recorder for an earth bore drilling rig which will assure a permanent record of all operations which occurred during the drilling of the bore. The time consumed for each operation is recorded, rate of penetration, periods in which drilling is not occurring and operations which take place when there was no drilling, besides numerous other operations. The operator, to make the chart more complete, can take from the footage recorder readings at various times and place them on the chart alongside the penetration line and thus aid in producing an easily read chart without counting of lateral lines.

It is to be understood that the recorder disclosed is an example of a preferred embodiment of the invention, but modifications are possible in the particular structure without departing from the fundamental principles of the invention. Although the recorder is shown as having a special use, its principles can be used in recorders for other purposes. Thus, being aware of these possible modifications and uses, I desire it to be understood that the 15 scope of the invention is not to be limited except in accordance with the terms of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A recorder for an earth bore drilling apparatus having a drill stem, said recorder comprising a recording chart sheet and time means for moving the sheet at a predetermined rate in one direction of travel, a rotatably mounted main drive member for the recorder adapted to be rotated in one, direction representing downward vertical movement of the drill stem or the other direction in accordance with upward vertical movement of the drill stem, an element for marking the chart sheet as it moves, means including a driven shaft operable when drilling is occurring for so. moving the marking element relatively to the sheet that it can establish on the sheet indicia separate from any line established by movement of the sheet, said marking element being moved to produce said indicia upon a predetermined downward vertical movement of the drill stem, clutch means for coupling the main drive member with the driven shaft, said clutch means comprising a first and second ratchet wheel fixed to said drive member and a manually operated second shaft supported for rotation and inward and outward reciprocal movement, said clutch being engaged upon rotation and inward reciprocation of said second shaft, a sleeve slidably movable inwardly and outwardly on said driven shaft having a grooved ring adjacent one end thereof and a cross member at the other end for engaging the first ratchet wheel, a clutch actuating yoke movable inwardly and outwardly and having means for engaging the grooved ring, a clutch actuating arm pivoted on said second shaft and connected to said yoke, a third shaft having pivotally mounted thereon a crank arm normally biased to engage said second ratchet wheel, a yoke cooperating arm secured to said third shaft having means normally in engagement with said yoke when said clutch is engaged, said clutch being engaged as long as said main drive member rotates in the onedirection, spring means for urging the sleeve outwardly, said clutch being automatically disengaged upon the main drive member moving in the other direction, said second ratchet wheel upon movement of the main drive member in the other directionvcausing pivoting of said crank arm and in turn said third shaft whereby the yoke cooperating arm and yoke will be disengaged and said spring means will shift outwardly said sleeve, yoke and cross arm to disengage the cross arm from the first ratchet wheel.

2. A recorder as defined in claim 1 wherein there is provided means including a weighted arm mounted on said second shaft tending to rotate said second shaft in one direction to a position preventing inward reciprocation of said second shaft upon disengagement of the clutch until there is a predetermined manual rotation of said second shaft in an opposite direction.

3. A recorder as defined in claim 2 wherein there is provided jaw members cooperating with said second shaft and engageable by. inward reciprocating movement of said second shaft only upon the weighted arm being positioned in a substantially horizontal plane.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,287,819 Nichols June 30, 1942 2,357,051 McLaine Aug. 29, 1944 2,623,387 Pitcher et al. Dec. 30, 1952 2,679,161 Yancey May 25, 1954 2,688,249 Storm Sept. 7, 1954 2,733,599 Storm Feb. 7, 1956' 

